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Andrew Solomon’s travels to trouble spots revisited in Far & Away


Far & Away: Reporting from the Brink of Change (Random House, August 2016)

by Tom Dusevic

Stories that are worth revisiting or demand even a first reading so many years after the event usually rest on the author’s celebrity, originality, virtuosity, supreme access or ability to see what others have missed. American writer Andrew Solomon’s work meets many of these tests because of his sensibility and discernment, which are superb, as is his fortunate timing in intrepid assignments for The New York Times, New Yorker and Travel + Leisure.

…What sets Solomon apart is a genius for exploring with openness and modesty the spirit of the places he is visiting. … [H]ere is a seasoned observer and hardy traveller who will not succumb to weariness, rancour or sentimentality.

Solomon’s travel writing can be lyrical, with a fine eye for detail… Solomon’s vivid dispatches are a gift to humanity, detailing what it was like to be alive in these stressed-out places and bringing fleeting coherence to a world forever on the brink.

(To read the full review, please visit The Australian.)